


Applied Pressure

by Dr_Psyche



Series: Lustrous [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Abuse, Attempted Sexual Assault, Gen, Original Character Death(s), Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 04:06:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11751657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr_Psyche/pseuds/Dr_Psyche
Summary: Set Pre-series. Peridot is pursued by an obsessive stalker. Amidst all the turmoil a maternal Blue Zircon tries to intervene.





	1. Planet of Gems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic is inspired by Drawbauchery's 8xA and Mom Zircon Au's. Blue Zircon becomes like a mom to Peridot, and an Amethyst takes an obsessed liking to Peridot and won't go away.
> 
> [Beginning from there.](http://drawbauchery.tumblr.com/post/162529813292/fair-warning-its-not-nsfw-but-there-is-a-creepy)
> 
> This fic takes place before that first link and after these [two](http://drawbauchery.tumblr.com/post/163923899752/whats-your-name-did-someone-ask-for-a) [comics](http://drawbauchery.tumblr.com/post/163924423012/part-22-part-1-exact-same-warnings-as-the-last)
> 
> The time-frame is up to you. And the very same warnings from the comics apply to this fic.

Two gems walk the brightly lit corridors of a starship.

“I’ve fixed the destabilization emitters in prison block 3.” Peridot said, inputting the information on her holo-screened report.

“Nothing too difficult?” The Blue Zircon asked.

“Negative. The initial damage destabilized the guards in the block but the repairs were conducted with the power remotely shut off.” Peridot responded, not looking up from her screen.

Zircon nodded, happy that Peridot exercised a typical amount of caution in her job. She had every confidence that Peri’s gem class’s notorious durability would keep her alive in such jobs, but pain was pain.

The pair arrived at the observation deck, one of many aboard _The Skipjack_. The area was empty, most of the onboard crew and passengers were either working or hanging out at one of the larger and more popular observation decks. A half dozen benches and tables lay scattered throughout the deck. A window occupied the entirety of the wall to their right and from it they could view the cosmos.

Zircon loved coming here. It was relatively private, peaceful, and one could view the galaxy’s many wonders. Right now _The Skipjack_ was passing a brilliant blue gas giant. The crystalline vapors of the planet channeled its blue light outwards, bathing the observation deck in its electric blue hue.

Zircon seated herself on one of the benches and gestured for Peridot to do so as well. Peridot did so, but was confused at the gesture. What point was there to being here? Planet watching? Planets were just potential conquests or varying ways to map out their star charts. You look at them for their potential not because they looked pretty.

Gas Giants were especially worthless. Beyond the science experiments that could be conducted from their unique atmospheres, the empire couldn’t really use them for anything. They needed solid rocks and minerals to form the basis of their new citizens. They needed tangible resources and ore. 

“Do you ever remember Blue Diamond’s plans for this planet?” Zircon asked, wistfully.

Peridot’s train of thought was broken.

“Um,” she pulled up her holoscreen, but Zircon continued speaking.

“Bracken. That was this planet’s name. Our scientists were testing some theories on it. Gas Giants are normally just worthless to our empire, but they thought they could bring something out of it. They sought to have some of the Lapis gems to use their powers on it, to have them move the entire planet and turn that into a makeshift weapon. Can you believe that? A whole mass of dense gas that could be dropped upon some unsuspecting world.”

“It would certainly be effective.” Peridot replied. “There seems to be quite a bit of potential in this idea. Beyond the potential strain to the Lapis gems, we would have a planet sized unmanned weapon that could be deployed with little casualty to us.”

“I don’t know,” Zircon said, “There’s the idea behind smothering an entire civilization, an entire world, with no second thoughts given to it. It’s… oh I don’t know, something that shouldn’t have come to be. Death on such a scale is scary to think about.”

“Why was the project abandoned?” Peridot asked. She could have easily brought up the old reports, but Zircon was on a role and she probably wanted to have this one.

“The rebellion happened. Blue Diamond abandoned her project and since she’s been in mourning it’s never resumed. Many colonial and weapon programs under the blue court were discontinued because of that. Yellow Diamond only salvaged the most effective projects or the one’s with the most potential. The experiments on Bracken were yielding little result, different compositions of the gas required different Lapis types to control, and with Homeworld’s dwindling resources their roles as Terraformers were far more important.”

“So we’re just viewing a failed Homeworld experiment?” Peridot asked in reference to the planet passing them by.

“Failure or no, the planet is probably one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. The way the water crystals catch the light and twinkle makes it look like there are millions of gems down there, just waiting for us to pick them up.”

Blue Zircon smiled as she said that. Though her smile fell away when she continued.

“Almost a century ago there was a short skirmish here. A Roaming Eye came into conflict with an Alternian scoutship. The Eye was destroyed and the Ruby crew was lost to Bracken’s gravitational pull. The planet may not be entirely solid, but the further in you go, the denser the gas becomes. The pressure at the core is immense, some say it’s strong enough to crush even the strongest of Quartz soldiers. The Ruby’s were caught in a decaying orbit around Bracken, circling it and gradually being pulled further and further in. I doubt they’re dead quite yet, but can you imagine? After a while, the physical form can no longer maintain itself with the pressure from the planet bearing down on all sides. From there it’s just them in their gems, feeling the pressure around them increase more and more. They’re unable to change their trajectory, or reform, or even wait for rescue. No one on Homeworld would undertake such a risk for a team of Rubies. They’re trapped there, smothered by the gas, no longer able to see or communicate. What’s worse is the center. I wonder if there really is enough pressure there to kill them, at this point it would be a mercy. But what if it’s not? What if that’s just a density that’s strong but not strong enough to break them. They’ll be trapped in there for an eternity, extreme pain bearing down on them from all sides; unable to move, unable to die. I wonde-”

Zircon stopped with the look Peridot was giving her. The green gem liked to have that detached robotic air about her, but it’s clear that the unlucky crew’s fate was disturbing her. She looked like a child having just been told a scary story before bedtime. 

Peridot turned to the planet, “You still think it’s beautiful? Even after all of that?”

“It’s not the planet’s fault this happened.” Zircon replied calmly. “It’s just a planet. We should have stepped in and done something. It was about a year before their orbital decay made them unsalvageable, and high command did nothing. I remember all of the sanctions I threw at Emerald, and heard nothing back.”

“Why?” Peridot asked.

Zircon turned to her, confused.

“Why what?”

“Why do you care so much? They were just Rubies.”

Zircon was taken aback by that.

“They-They didn’t deserve that. Their gem classification should never have left them to that fate. What if it was you stuck in there?”

“I’d hate it, but in the end, I would understand.” Peridot replied, the inflection gone from her voice, “Why allocate valuable resources during a crisis to save a lowly era-2 who couldn’t do her job right? I’d want someone to save me from that crushing hell but I know deep down, nobody would.”

“You don’t deserve to be abandoned by your people just because of why you were born or whether you failed a mission.” Zircon said, almost upset. “If anything I’d probably take a Roaming Eye and grab you myself.”

“That’s never going to happen.” Peridot replied.

“Maybe, but my point is, I would try. You’re worth more than a value assigned to your classification, Peri, don’t you ever forget that.”

In the silence that followed, both turned to watch Bracken fall out of sight as the ship flew past. The idea of the squadron of Rubies, trapped, helpless, and scared was in their minds. Peridot, however, was mulling over Zircon’s words to her. They were illogical, defiance was a sure ticket to shattering, and she doubted Zircon had the physical strength to affect severe change. But underneath all of her doubts and ideas of Gems, there was something comforting knowing someone would come for her should she need it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bracken was just a name that came to my head. I just needed a random thing to call the planet.


	2. Classification

Amethyst 8xA and Carnelian were stuck. Their squadrons were loaned out to the backwater world of Trudd. A new colony was to be created there, the ground had been scouted, several injectors were deployed and a Kindergarten had been constructed far ahead of schedule. That was the problem. The Morganite in charge had rushed the process. She had ignored far too many parts of the protocol and now they were suffering the consequences. Trudd’s core was unstable, and excessive terraforming would destroy the planet, leaving them with no future colony. All of the resources deployed to begin the process were wasted. They’d lost fuel shipping the materials here, they’d lost the contents of the injectors to this planet’s rock, and they’d wasted time organizing a military squadron and terra team.

The Morganite was executed for her incompetence and now they were all stuck cleaning up her mess. 8xA and the other Amethysts had just finished dismantling the last of the Injectors and loading them onto the space ships. Carnelian and the Jaspers herded up the newly created gems. They were without proper Kindergarten training and would receive the necessary education from the Kindergarteners on Homeworld. 

“Man this sucks.” Carnelian said.

The pair had just been dismissed and were entering down time. Carnelian leaned against one of the still remaining shipping containers, happy to just slack off. 

“Course it does,” 8xA responded.

“I can’t believe we got dragged all the way out here to fix this mess. I mean I barely understand seismic scans, but at least I know to do them!”

8xA nodded, and took a seat on the ground. To her left she could see the remaining couple of gems, having emerged from what would have been Trudd’s prime Kindergarten, waiting for new orders. The Amethyst obsessed with rocks was hanging out near them, filling them in on some of the basics of their Homeworld.

“It must be scary huh?” Carnelian asked, referring to the new gems, “Born from a planet they’ll probably see again, to serve a world they’ve never heard of.”

“They’ll get over it.” 8xA said, tersely.

“They don’t know where they belong yet though? What they’re supposed to be in life.”

“They’ll _learn_.”

“Yeah,” Carnelian said, “But it’s still a challenge. There’s always the desire to be something else.”

8xA didn’t respond to that. It was pointless honestly, who cares what you wanted to be? That’s not what the Authority wanted.

“I mean I always wanted to be a warrior. Someone like the Amethysts, or the Jaspers. I mean I kind of am, but I wish I was made on some more successful colony where I could, y’know, do something.” Carnelian said, wistfully.

“I bet you wish you were taller to.” 8xA said with a snicker.

“Damn right! Stupid Injector technician, didn’t know how to aim right.”

“I suppose that’s the thing isn’t it?” 8xA said, “It’s not what we were made to be, but also where we were made. Look at the gem warriors born on the other colonies? Strong, honored, and looked up to. Then there’s us, forgotten. Our roles don’t mean anything in the greater scheme of things.”

“Yeah,” Carnelian replied, “Do you ever wish you’d been born different? I mean you’re physical form developed properly at least.”

8xA thought about the question. It wasn’t the first time she’d asked herself that. As much as she’d parrot the “every piece knows its place” rhetoric, that didn’t mean she had no objections to how things were. Their positions in life were unfitting of Quartz soldiers, but still here they were. She’d always wondered what it would have been like to be born differently.

“I guess… I’d always wanted to be an Agate.” she said.

“Really?” Carnelian asked, surprised. “Jeez, why? You’ve seen Holly Blue?”

“Of course, that’s the point?”

“Like… why?” Carnelian asked, “What’s the appeal? The bitchiness? The butt kissing? The thighs? The hair style? The position?”

“No, it’s none of those it- Wait, repeat that?”

“The bitchiness?”

“No, after that.”

“The butt kissing?”

“After that.”

“The hair?”

“Oh nevermind.”

“It was the hair wasn’t it? Why do you want horn hair? I mean just look at us!” Carnelian tossed her hair for effect, “You saying you want to give this up?”

“It’s none of that!” 8xA barked. “It’s more than that. It’s the control they’ve got. It’s the aura they have.”

Carnelian made an illegible comment at that, which 8xA knew damn well was an innuendo in poor taste.

“Honestly, it’s the fear they exude in their presence. That panic instilled in you, knowing the threat they carry behind them. It’s that fear that brings respect and submission. I want that. I want everyone who looks at me to know what I’m capable of. I want to see it in their eyes. I want them to know that I have power over them and I could hurt them at a whim.”

8xA clenched her fist in the dirt, “I want _her_ to know.”

Carnelian regarded her companion neutrally. 8xA had these points where it was best to leave her stew for a while. Whenever conversations drifted to a certain Peridot, things would take a turn for the worst. She’d get this look in her eye, this expression on her face that unsettled the smaller red gem. Normally Carnelian would make a joke, something like “wow you’ve got it bad,” but this was different. 8xA wasn’t the most pleasant of company, but times like this showed a malevolence to her that Carnelian had never seen in a person.

“I want them all to know,” 8xA continued her voice a low growl, “I want them all to know who I am and what I could do. I will never be an Agate, but I can at least get her to finally wise up and stop trying to run. She’ll know she’s wrong. I can make sure of it.”

“Ooooh-kay then,” Carnelian said, thinking quickly for a subject change, “You a… want to go raid Morganite’s office? There might be something cool to steal in there? I mean she’s not using it anymore.”

“Maybe she left her Pearl behind,” 8xA said, a sinister smile curling at her lips.

“Wow, you just can’t help yourself can you?”

“We can both probably help ourselves to the Pearl if she’s just been left there. I mean think about it, with her owner dead nobody will be looking for her or missing her. And she’s a Pearl, what can she do about it?”

Carnelian just stared at her and 8xA held her gaze. The amethyst wasn’t smiling anymore, her expression was absent.

“Morganite,” Carnelian said, speaking carefully, “Never was important nor successful enough to have earned a Pearl. I’m pretty sure colonizing this planet would have gotten her one, but as is she’s left nothing behind.”

“Nothing but a pathetic record of failure,” 8xA replied. “Let’s still go trash her office though, maybe we’ll find an embarrassing diary.”

8xA was smiling, but Carnelian was wary. 

“C’mon, don’t give me that, it’ll be fun,” 8xA said.

Morganite’s office was a lot bigger than someone of their or even Holly Blue Agate’s position would allow. It was spacious, well furnished and oddly cozy. The doors were still broken from when the team of Jaspers kicked them down and dragged her screaming back for an inquisition. Other than the smashed doors though, the rest of the office looked fine. The right wall had an impressive collection of artwork all from different alien races. Contraband to a lowly gem but prized trophies for a higher one. 

Carnelian observed a music player situated on it’s own desk, and hit play. 8xA made her way to Morganite’s desk and activated the holoscreens. “The Empyrean Suite” began to emanate from the musical device. It was a beautiful song honoring the home of a great leader of a long dead civilization. They’d discovered songs like that on the planet Chaar; a barren world that once based a civilization of metal giants, also long dead. Their history databanks informed them of the song’s purpose, but they’d discovered the song itself from musical players within a room that was used for torture.

Still, it was a beautiful song. Carnelian could feel the composer’s pride in their nation through every note. She turned to see 8xA furiously typing and running her eyes over the data on the screens.

“You looking for something?” Carnelian asked.

“Mhm”

“Y’know I thought we’d just vandalize the place, but you… you want something here don’t you? I’m telling you, there’s no Pearl, she won’t be in the records.”

8xA looked up from the holoscreen, annoyed, and said, “I don’t give a shit about some stupid Pearl! I’m looking through the personnel files.”

“Why?”

“To find someone,” 8xA said, turning back to the computer and gritting her teeth.

“You know someone here?” Carnelian asked. But she knew the answer. 8xA wouldn’t be searching for some random employee, she’d probably be scanning the tech staffer sheets for that Peridot she was obsessed with.

There was a set determination in her eyes. That was the look of someone you didn’t want to cross. Instead Carnelian busied herself with Morganite’s knick-knacks; she had a set of Mega Seeds and even a preserved capsule of Quintessence.

8xA’s foray into the tech division gave her nothing. But the construction of the Kindergarten and the authorization of the Injectors all had to be voided when the operation was dismantled. The one who signed off on the voiding was a certain Zircon gem that 8xA knew.

8xA pulled the report on the voided document, and got the serial number of the ship she was traveling on: _The Skipjack_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Morganite is not the same one from Rhondite's backstory, being dead and all, I just needed to have a gem that had some authority to their class. Had she not been mentioned it would have been an Agate.
> 
> I wrote this before the comics depicting 8xA's first meeting with Peridot. Nothing changed, but I switched out Skinny Jasper for a mention of Rocky, her other Amthyst OC who's not a terrible person.
> 
> Like Bracken, Trudd was a name I just made up. The other names and references are to other shows/stories, can you guess them?


	3. The Lingering Feeling of Pain

_The Skipjack_

Blue Zircon walked the familiar walkway to her favorite observation deck. She was alone now, Peridot had been called to another assignment and she’d been assigned to ruling on a domestic dispute on one of Blue Diamond’s colonies. Law and Order was getting more and more difficult to uphold since she’d stepped back from her active role in the government. Grief takes its toll on even the mightiest of rulers.

Still, it was nice to be on _The Skipjack_ again. It was one of the largest and most used transport ships in the Blue Diamond fleet and if one needed to traverse the colonies it was often this one that you’d travel on.

Zircon finally arrived at the door to the observation deck and entered. They’d be passing by Bracken soon, and it was always nice to gaze upon the sparkling blue planet. Zircon didn’t notice the figure in the left corner. Her entrance had her cross the room to find a suitable viewing place and the corner was adjacent to the wall which bore the door she’d entered.

As Zircon made her way to the window, she heard a voice say,

“It’s a pretty view isn’t it?”

Zircon turned, surprised, at the voice. It was an Amethyst, but it took only a second for the realization to set in. It was _that_ Amethyst. 

“Amethyst 8xA! What in the Authority’s name are you doing here?” she barked.

“It’s a transport ship,” 8xA said, shrugging, “I can come and go as I please on this.”

She stepped out of the corner.

“Unless you can convince the ship here that I’m a danger to it, you lying little bitch.”

8xA advanced on her, but Zircon simply narrowed her eyes and stood her ground. Granted with the window behind her there wasn’t far she could go.

“What do you want? Here to whine about how unfair the law is? You can file a complaint if need be.” Zircon said.

8xA was in front of her now. The Amethyst was taller than her, by design of course, and she glared down at the law gem.

“You’ve made my life a lot harder than it had to be,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Hah!” Zircon laughed trying to emulate her counterpart in the Yellow Court, “Only you would think that. Making your life harder? As if that’s a bad thing.”

“Now you listen here you-”

“No you listen!” Zircon snapped, “I know what you are, what people like you are. You’re just some self styled obsessed bully who’s deluded herself into thinking she’s some kind of amazing badass. You’ve constructed a tantalizing, yet _wrong_ fantasy in your sick little head about someone who you know you can push around. The only thing I can actually remark on is your tenacity and even then you’re just some loony little girl who can’t take a hint.”

Zircon glared at the taller gem, the light from Bracken reflecting off her monocle, making it opaque. 8xA glared back almost ready to explode at her… except she didn’t

“You know about Bracken right?” 8xA asked, nodding her head in the planet’s direction.

Zircon turned to the planet as 8xA continued.

“Seven Rubies lost to the gravity and dense gases. They’re still trapped down there. No physical form can manifest with the sheer amount of pressure on them. Can you imagine it? Trapped in your gem, the entire planet crushing you more and more each day. There’s no release, no reprieve. All they can do is hope the pressure crushes them, because then, and only then, will the pain stop. Even then, one has to wonder if shattering really is death or if you’re still conscious and still living, but in pieces.”

8xA slammed a fist onto the window, right above Zircon’s head. Zircon jumped and turned back to her.

8xA glared into her eyes. The blow had startled her, but now she was just annoyed. Surprise wasn’t fear.

“A little show of force? Oh I hope the window’s fine!” Zircon yelled, jabbing a finger at 8xA’s chest, “You’re just an angry little gemling who think’s she’s a big-”

8xA grabbed Zircon’s wrist, hard. And met her stare. Zircon winced under 8xA’s grip which was tightening.

“I want to make something clear,” 8xA said, her voice lowering to a threatening growl, “You can keep throwing up roadblocks in my way. You can keep lying to her about who I am and what I’m like. You can keep hiding behind our incompetent bureaucracy. But know this: all of those restraining orders? Just suggestions you’ve put up on a holoscreen. They’re just words you think have this great power to stop actually physical beings. And you think I’m pathetic?”

8xA slammed Zircon against the window, pinning her arm above her head. Zircon shot her a death glare that would make a lesser gem back off.

“I need you to understand,” 8xA said, bringing her other arm up to Zircon’s gem.

She traced the square rock, the only part of any of them that was worth a dam. It was so amazing when the physical form could work the gem placement into the outfit. A cravat pin was such a nice look for the Zircon, much better than her own which stood out like a lump on her arm.

“You’re like a piece of crumbling sandstone compared to me. You’re not made for anything but filing the paperwork for things that don’t matter. You can’t fight, can’t contribute, can’t even defend yourself.”

She moved her hand down from the gemstone to the Zircon’s chest, cupping one of her breasts.

“Wh-what are you-”

“Shut up!” 8xA barked. “You can say whatever you want about me just being a bully, but you can’t stop me, can you? You can cry to your bench and pull out a new restraining order, but it won’t even slow me down. This is going to stop, now.”

There was a change in Zircon’s expression then. She wasn’t glaring anymore now, and the look in her eyes was something 8xA had always coveted. The Zircon was afraid. She wasn’t the confident solicitor in some phony fight for justice, no, now she was just a weak little gem with nowhere to go.

“No one will come for you, y’know? You don’t have some bodyguard like a Topaz or anything like that. Nobody will help you, just like those Rubies out there. You can’t stop me. Who’s the little gemling now?”

8xA got rougher, aggressively fondling her chest and squeezing her wrist so hard, Zircon wondered if the limb projection would be damaged. She tried to push her off, tried to use her free hand to fight 8xA, to scratch her or pull off one of her hands, but 8xA was so much stronger. She shoved a knee into the Zircon’s crotch, the force of which was akin to a blow rather than an attempt at some kind of sick foreplay. The Amethyst wondered if this was how the Agate’s felt. A feeling of domination, cowing the weaker gems into line through strength and terror. 

“Y-You think this little farce means anything?” Zircon shot back, “You-You think kicking around someone who can’t defend themselves proves something? You just like showing off in front of people smaller than you. It makes you feel less pathetic!”

Their faces were only a few inches apart, as 8xA continued.

“No matter where that little runt is, I _will_ find her. You can send her to any backwater planet you want, but I can track her down. She needs me, and I need her. We’ve got a connection, a connection that you’ve managed to convince her, is wrong.” 

The last statement was punctuated with a particularly hard squeeze to her breast, before 8xA released her, letting the Zircon fall to the floor.

“I will _not_ let you keep getting in my way. I won’t let you keep getting in between us. I can hurt you. I want you to understand that, right now; I can do a lot worse.”

Zircon crossed her arms to her chest and drew up her legs. 8xA turned and left as Blue Zircon entered a fetal position. 

When 8xA exited the room, Zircon played the whole scene in her head again and again. _I can do a lot worse, I can do a lot worse, I can do a lot worse._

“Oh Peri,” she said, into her knees, “I’m so sorry. Damnit.”

Zircon banged her head against her knees. She could feel herself starting to cry. There was nothing she could do that she hadn’t already done. The restraining orders, moving Peridot around, hell she couldn’t even fight off the Amethyst herself. She felt so useless. What would she even do about this incident? Report the Amethyst? Cases against transient gems weren’t worth pursuing. If the offending party was no longer in contact with the victim, why bother? Production wouldn’t be harmed. Would the report do anything except make her come after her? Zircon tried to remove the thought, but the incident forced it to stay in her mind. 

 

The Agate’s kept Gems in line through fear. Fear of failure, fear of retribution, fear of punishment. But there was more to that ability to control, for beyond that feeling of fear was despair. The Gems needed to reach a point where they knew defiance was worthless, because there was nothing for them. There was no prize for disobedience, no victory gained from escaping or rebellion. There was no future for them outside of the command structure the Agate prepared them for and it was that hopelessness that would ensure their loyalty. The despair would break them into something that could be molded to suit the empire. 

8xA strolled away down the halls, intent on searching the planets in _The Skipjack’s_ flight plan whenever it touched down on them. She would find that gem. Nobody would deter her. As she headed to the more populated areas to disappear into the crowds of Amethysts, she could feel the terror she’d managed to coax out of that Zircon. She could never go back and change who she was, but she would have made a great Agate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
